British artist sorry for calling September 11 attack 'stunning'

September 20 2002

Damien Hirst, the provocative bad boy of British art, apologised yesterday for hailing the September 11 terrorist strike on the World Trade Centre as "visually stunning".

"As a human being and artist living in the civilised world I value human life above all else and abhor all acts of terrorism and murder," said Hirst, perhaps best known for pickling cows and sharks in formaldehyde.

"I apologise unreservedly for any upset I have caused, particularly to the families of the victims of the events on that terrible day," added the London-based artist in a statement.

"I in no way condone terrorism of any kind and I deeply regret any offence caused by the misrepresentation of my thoughts and feelings," he said.

In an interview with BBC Online last week, Hirst said the hijackers who flew airliners into the World Trade Centre's twin towers "need congratulating" for producing "an art work in its own right".");document.write("

advertisement

");
}
}
// -->

"It's visually stunning and you've got to hand it to them on some level because they've achieved something which nobody would have ever have thought possible, especially to a country as big as America," he said.

Hirst made his remarks just before the first anniversary last Wednesday of the al-Qaeda attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in Washington that killed more than 3,000 people.